Donald Trump Dropping Out Could Be His Smartest Move Yet

Nothing has prepared us for this late-stage edition of Donald Trump's candidacy. There now seems to be serious talk — long after the #NeverTrump movement was defeated at the Republican National Convention — of Trump not making it to Election Day, possibly self-imposed. Most of us would consider a presidential candidate dropping out of the race this close to the election as a failure… but what if Donald Trump dropping out could be his smartest move yet?

But maybe the deepest and most profound question to ask is: What does Donald want? If the simple answer is to be president, the simple retort is well he’s not doing a very good job of showing it. At several turns, he has actively worked against his own candidacy, the latest being his intractable stance against the family of slain U.S. soldier Humayun Khan. Despite having a number of opportunities to try and be politic towards Khan’s parents — which probably would require some form of apology for some of his statements — Trump has managed to dig himself in deeper.

Besides, the biggest mistake any of us can make is to set the parameters of what Trump considers a success too narrowly: Most of us are thinking (in a blind panic) about Nov. 8. But Trump most likely has his sights set beyond that, and dropping out of the race before he could lose would open up other less demanding ego-massages than becoming president: Fox News commentator? Heading out on the lecture circuit? Or maybe go back to firing people on a ratings-boosted The Apprentice?

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All of these options seem more realistic for Trump, given that he strikes me as someone who doesn’t do things he doesn’t feel like doing, and that being president often requires compromise and honoring obligation. Given the two equally intolerable choices of that or losing the election, getting out on his own terms (under the guise of a loaded deck) might be the best last move the Donald has.